September 2011 - Iowa Pork Producers Association

News from the
National Pork Board
A handful of information for foiling high
costs
Ideas for relief arrived in the mailbox of pork
producers in July. The Pork Checkoff sent “Practical
Ideas to Address High Feed and Production Costs,”
a booklet containing ideas for reducing the cost of
feeding pigs during this time of high production costs.
The booklet consists of two sections. Divided into
different areas of production, the first section
shares tips on topics from feed processing and
manufacturing to marketing. The second section
contains a brief description of Pork Checkoff-funded
research in areas relevant to feed and production
costs and has a link to get more detailed information.
In a cover letter attached to the booklet, National
Pork Board President Everett Forkner said he wanted
to assure America’s pork producers that the Pork
Checkoff continues to work to find answers to the
tough questions brought on by the high prices and
uncertainty about this year’s feed crops.
“Whether it’s looking at the real-time challenges,
such as monitoring herd health for efficiencyrobbing
diseases, or seeking answers to longer term
issues such as sow lifetime productivity, Checkoff is
involved in the frontline of research,” he said.
If you are interested in a copy of the booklet and did not
receive one, or for additional information, simply visit
pork.org for the online version or call (515) 456-7675.
PRRS’ costs to pork industry increasing
A new study estimates that porcine reproductive
and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) continues to be a
major drag on the U.S. pork industry - costing the
pork industry $641 million per year. This translates
into $1.8 million per day or $114.71 per sow
annually.
A previous economic study in 2005 calculated PRRS
losses at $560 million annually.
The study was underwritten by the Pork Checkoff
and conducted by Iowa State University.
“This Checkoff-funded work offers producers,
veterinarians and every part of the pork chain a new
and valuable insight into the economic impact of
PRRS and underscores why we’ve leveraged domestic
and international government funds to offer
producers tools for regional control of this virus,”
said National Pork Board President Everett Forkner,
a producer from Richards, Mo.
The 2011 study differed most significantly from the
2005 study in the allocation of losses between the
breeding and the growing pig herds. Specifically,
losses in the growing pig herd accounted for 88
percent of the total cost of PRRS in the 2005 study
compared with 55 percent in the current analysis.
New oral fluid collection resource available
A new nine-minute DVD, Oral Fluid Collection
in Pigs, guides swine health experts and producers
through the step-by-step process of collecting,
labeling, processing and shipping oral fluid samples
to a diagnostic lab.
USDA provided funding for the DVD, and the
Pork Checkoff collaborated on the project. The
Pork Checkoff has funded several research projects
involving the development and validation of oral
fluids as an alternative to collecting serum or blood
for disease diagnoses.
“This is the latest tool available to show veterinarians
and producers how to properly collect samples
that can help detect multiple swine pathogens, said
Lisa Becton, Checkoff director of swine health.
“Pathogens now detectable via oral-fluid sampling
include influenza, PRRS, porcine circovirus and
mycoplasma.”
38 SEPTEMBER 2011